Officials enlisted a local design agency to re-brand Portland Meadows, which will embark on summer racing July 15.
The Oregon racetrack, which offers Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, traditionally races in the late fall and winter, but The Stronach Group, which operates the facility, wanted to race during months with more potential to attract the public's interest. The summer/fall meet ends Dec. 9.
Portland Meadows hired Official Mfg. Co., also called OMFGCO, to design the campaign, which includes a new look and logo. There also are billboards featuring vintage paintings of horses and jockeys, and there will be print advertisements in various publications.
Officials said OMFGCO also prepared two guerrilla marketing campaigns.
On June 30 the "Instagram Horse Race" promotion began. With eight plastic horses and jockeys placed around Portland, the first horse to be "Instagrammed" 25 times wins the race, and the 25 participants each win a $50 betting voucher that is good for opening day. Players can gather clues as to the whereabouts of the horses by following the Portland Meadow's Twitter and Facebook pages.
The social media platforms for Portland Meadows are being handled by rachelkarlonline.com. The other marketing endeavor involves a horse-masked flash mob July 7 and July 14. The promotion hinges on the element of surprise, so no further details were released, officials said.
As for the facility itself, track officials and horsemen's representatives said there will be interior renovations and a 10,000-square-foot outdoor patio.
With the new schedule, Portland Meadows will race Sundays at 1 p.m. PDT and Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. The track had raced Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in the winter to capitalize on the national simulcast market.